Red flag proposal from gun safety advocates qualifies for November ballot
The Maine Department of the Secretary of State announced Friday that gun safety advocates have gathered the required number of signatures from voters to send their proposal to a statewide referendum.
If approved, a red flag law, also known as an extreme risk protection order, would provide a pathway for family or household members, in addition to law enforcement, to petition a court to temporarily remove someone's weapons.
And unlike Maine's current yellow flag law, the proposal would eliminate the need for a mental health evaluation before a judge can order the temporary confiscation of weapons.
The Maine Gun Safety Coalition launched the effort to get a proposal for a red flag law before voters after the Maine Legislature failed to act on a red flag bill last year in the wake of the mass shooting in Lewiston that killed 18 people.
"This past fall, tens of thousands of Mainers decided to step up where elected leaders didn't and put a real extreme risk protection order law on the ballot," said Nacole Palmer, executive director of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, in a written statement.
"This is a proven, commonsense tool for families that's been effective in many other states in saving countless lives and preventing tragedies like Lewiston."
The secretary of state's office said Friday that supporters of the initiative gathered more than 74,000 valid signatures in support of the referendum, exceeding the required number of 67,682.
The proposal will now go to the Legislature, which has the option of enacting the bill as written or sending it to a statewide vote in November.
This story will be updated.
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